【51】Chasing a man is much more interesting than being chased by a man.
As winter gave way to spring, something regrettable unfolded. Ye Xin and Cheng Yan's relationship ultimately didn't last, and they broke up before March arrived. Ye Xin explained that the breakup was related to, but not entirely, a disagreement over future plans. "He immediately started trying to convince me to pursue graduate school in the US, even compiling a list of suitable master's programs based on the schools he wanted to apply to," she said. "Honestly, I can accept him putting this on hold and considering it later, since we'd only been dating for a few months, but I can't accept him taking control of my life like this. It's horrible." Cheng Yan's perspective was simple: graduate school wasn't a bad thing, and given Ye Xin's financial situation, it was certainly within her means. So, while he'd invested time and energy researching suitable programs for Ye Xin, he had no idea it would cross her boundaries. Ye Xin explained that she'd been the one to "put" Cheng Yan under pressure before the breakup, so the pain wasn't that severe. But Liang Zhiyao, seeing her start her third drink of the night, became skeptical of this argument. At the same time, she couldn't help but think of what Cheng Yan had said to Liu Siyan during their Truth or Dare game on their road trip to see the maple leaves. Unexpectedly, his words had come true. Both his relationships with Liu Siyan and Ye Xin ultimately became "less than three months" episodes in his rich love history. Even when he was questioned about his exes, they were singled out because they didn't last long enough. Thinking back on it now, she felt even more sad. "This is completely different from the reason I thought I'd break up with him," Ye Xin said, her voice slowing down from drinking too much. "There was no cheating, no big fight. Turns out that clichéd excuse of 'personality incompatibility' is actually the most common one." Liang Zhiyao asked her, "If you'd known the outcome would be this, would you still have started?" "Of course," Ye Xin replied without hesitation. "The most important thing is that after I took the leap, I realized that pursuing a man is much more fun than being pursued by him! Whether I want to flirt or keep him hanging, I have the initiative. Who wouldn't like that? I really lived my previous 21 years in vain." After her third glass of wine, the name Cheng Yan vanished from Ye Xin's lips. She began to vigorously summarize her experiences, which made Liang Zhiyao wonder if she had truly "gotten over it" quickly, and her heart was no longer so painful. It would be a funny story if the world had a new female sea king, a sweet girl who was easy to marry but transformed into a cool beauty who was good at fishing. With the new semester halfway through, Liang Zhiyao received the best news of the past year—the one who had been holding the promise of "giving it a try..."
As winter turned to spring, one thing was regrettable: Ye Xin and Cheng Yan's relationship didn't last long, and they broke up before March arrived.
Ye Xin said that the reason for the breakup was related to differences in future plans, but not entirely.
"He immediately started trying to convince me to pursue graduate studies in the US. He even compiled a list of suitable master's programs based on the schools he wanted to apply to," Ye Xin said. "Honestly, I can accept him putting this issue on hold and looking into it later, since we've only been dating for a few months. But I can't accept him controlling my life like this. It's terrifying."
Cheng Yan's thinking was simple: graduate school wasn't a bad idea, and Ye Xin's family could definitely afford it. So when he spent time and energy researching a program suitable for Ye Xin, he had no idea it would cross her boundaries.
According to Ye Xin, she had first "put" Cheng Yan under the influence before breaking up, so the pain wasn't that severe. But Liang Zhiyao, seeing her start her third glass of wine tonight, became skeptical of this explanation.
At the same time, she couldn't help but think of what Cheng Yan had said to Liu Siyan during their Truth or Dare game on their road trip to see the maple leaves. Unexpectedly, his words had come true. Both his relationships with Liu Siyan and Ye Xin ultimately became "less than three months" episodes in his rich love history. Even when questioned about his exes, they were singled out because they didn't last long enough. Thinking back on it now, she felt even more sad.
"This is completely different from the reason I thought I'd break up with him," Ye Xin said, having drunk too much. "There was no cheating, no big fights. Turns out the cliched excuse of 'personality incompatibility' is actually the most common one."
Liang Zhiyao asked her, "If you had known the outcome earlier, would you still want to start?"
"Begin," Ye Xin answered without hesitation. "The most important thing is that after I took the first step, I discovered that chasing a man is much more fun than being chased by him! Whether I want to flirt or keep him hanging, I have the initiative in my hands. Who doesn't like this feeling? I really lived for 21 years in vain."
After drinking the third glass of wine, the name Cheng Yan disappeared from Ye Xin's mouth. She began to summarize her experience with great momentum, which made Liang Zhiyao feel vaguely that perhaps she had really "gotten over it" quickly and was not so painful in her heart.
If there is a female Aquaman in the world, and the sweet girl who is easy to marry transforms into a cold beauty who is good at fishing, I wonder if it would be an interesting story.
As the new semester was halfway through, Liang Zhiyao received the best good news of the past year - the scholarship he applied for with the mentality of "it wouldn't be a waste to give it a try" actually had a follow-up.
At the end of February, the school sent an email asking her to provide more detailed documentation proving her family's financial situation had changed. They also asked if she could get two professors from her major to write letters of recommendation. This was clearly a positive sign, and it gave her a boost of enthusiasm during that time, though she also occasionally worried that her hopes would be dashed.
The final decision came in March. Unlike the mathematics student from the previous cohort, she received 40% instead of 70% of her annual tuition. This result was a pleasant surprise, however, and gave her a clearer glimpse into the future of successful graduation.
She had just gotten off work when she received the notification email. She ran all the way from the office building door to the other side of the overpass, and she was still excited until she got into the familiar black SUV.
This semester, Tan Xu decided to skip his investment banking internship and switch to working on primary market equity investments at a private equity fund. He explained that this was similar to Liang Zhiyao's approach of improving his spoken English through various channels. While his future plans weren't clear, at least he could experiment and have more options for the future.
This semester, they spent a lot of time researching their course selections and tried to schedule their internship on the same three days each week, so they would go to and from get off work together every time.
She took a screenshot of the email and shared it with Tan Xu the moment she received it. So, as soon as she got into the car after get off work, he gently rubbed her head and said, "What should I do? My girlfriend is really amazing."
"I agree! It's really amazing!" She giggled happily.
Miracles have always been a gift given to courage and hard work, and belief is the prerequisite for all actions.
"Paying 40% of my senior year's tuition, plus income from internships and subsidies from my parents, is actually pretty good," she said. "It's been almost a year, and this is the first time I've felt like, 'If I work harder, I can actually graduate.' Oh well—shouldn't I celebrate tonight?"
Tan Xu smiled and said nothing.
It wasn't until their car didn't drive onto the highway as usual, but stopped in front of an exquisitely decorated restaurant in the city center, that Liang Zhiyao realized something was wrong.
Watching him leave his car keys with the valet at the restaurant entrance, she asked in confusion, "Just celebrate? Eh, that's not right... My senior once told me at lunch that reservations at this restaurant must be made at least a week in advance. How could you have accurately predicted good news today?"
"...You really don't have that kind of thing," he laughed, shaking his head, pulling her over to a rose-covered window. "It's our 100th day together. But it's a double blessing by accident, isn't it?"
It's over. Liang Zhiyao thought, she was completely unaware of this.
It wasn't until they sat down and ordered that she said cautiously, "Uh, I don't remember such a day...will you be angry?"
She felt that she couldn't blame herself. That childish first love in high school only lasted less than two months, so it was normal for her to have no idea about it.
"Why are you angry? This actually works better."
He actually enjoys creating surprises in intimate relationships. For example, when giving gifts, instead of asking Liang Zhiyao to choose together, he prefers to take a risk and predict her preferences and arrange everything in advance.
In addition to rose petals, there were two candles on the table. Thinking of that misunderstanding when he invited guests, Liang Zhiyao couldn't help laughing: "This time it's a real anniversary, not a slip of the hand."
The waiter quickly arrived with two appetizers—cheese puffs for her and quiche for him.
That cheese puff was a seasonal new dish, not one of the recommended dishes, and there weren't even any reviews for it on the review apps. Tan Xu couldn't help but tease her, "You really order whatever you want these days. Aren't you afraid of making a mistake?"
"Yeah," she smiled, taking a bite of the cheese puff in front of her. "Do you remember that time when we were having dinner? You said that when ordering food, besides the two options of 'safe choice' and 'something I like but might not like', there was a third option?"
"Remember," Tan Xu smiled, "just order what you like, and if it doesn't taste good, throw it to me - is that why you're so unscrupulous? Are you going to throw this dish to me?"
"Today's one won't do. It's a little too delicious. I can only give you a small taste at most." She blinked. "But then I thought about it. Your words sounded quite shocking and useful for picking up girls, but there seems to be a logical flaw?"
"What loophole?"
"I feel like, during the time when I was losing my courage and was most hesitant, you were the biggest uncertainty around me," she said. "So if I have the courage to try your dish, which is the most likely to fail, then I should be fearless about all the other dishes. Why should I throw them at you? It's a bit redundant."
Tan Xu couldn't help laughing: "Okay, then go ahead and try it."
Author's Note
Reversible light path
author
08-28
Countdown to the end qwq
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